Discover Unveils 5% Bonus Calendar for 2021, Adding Streaming Services
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Discover's 5% bonus categories for 2021 will be mostly the same as those in the 2020 lineup, with one noteworthy addition: certain streaming services.
Select Discover cards, including the Discover it® Cash Back and the Discover it® Student Cash Back, earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter in categories that you must activate, and 1% cash back on other purchases.
The category calendar for 2021, which Discover unveiled Nov. 1, 2020, is as follows:
Q1 (January–March): Grocery stores, Walgreens, CVS.
Q2 (April–June): Gas stations, wholesale clubs, select streaming services.
Q3 (July–September): Restaurants, PayPal.
Q4 (October–December): Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com.
The categories for the first, third and fourth quarters are the same as they were in 2020. However, in the second quarter of 2020, the eligible categories were gas stations, wholesale clubs, Uber and Lyft, and, for June only, Home Depot. Ridesharing and Home Depot have been dropped in 2021 in favor of select streaming services.
The following services are eligible for the 5% rewards:
Apple Music.
Apple TV+.
AT&T TV Now.
BET+.
CBS All Access.
DAZN.
Disney+.
ESPN+.
fuboTV.
Google Play Movies & TV.
HBO Max.
Hulu.
Netflix.
Pandora.
Philo.
Peacock TV.
Showtime.
SiriusXM.
Starz.
Sling TV.
Spotify.
Vudu.
YouTube TV.
Service must be purchased directly from the provider to ensure you earn the 5% rewards. If your subscription is bundled with other products or services from a third party — such as a cable or satellite TV service, phone company, internet provider or carmaker — it may not be eligible.
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